


Domestic Simplicity

by Gingerness



Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-29 03:56:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10845972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gingerness/pseuds/Gingerness
Summary: Eight one shots about different points of Tony and Pepper's life together. Life isn't always easy.





	1. CEO's Stress

**Author's Note:**

> These are just some short one shots I wrote for my classes. But since my teacher adviced me to publish them, that's what I did.  
> I hope you enjoy them.   
> They can also be found on ff.net

"Honey, you really need to alleviate some of that stress." As if she hadn't know that before. Virginia gave him that particular glare and all Anthony could think was 'that's quite harsh'. Fortunately he knew better than to say it out loud. When it came to the company, getting him to meetings, she could be relentless, being efficient whereas he was nothing but a dead loss. Rolling her eyes, she turned around to leave him again, but he stopped her by putting a hand on her arm. "Don't make yourself so scarce, that's my preserve!" With a sarcastic smile on her lips, Virginia watched Anthony one more time. "You know, one of these days I might abandon you, albeit a hard thing to do."


	2. Perks Of Being Engaged

"Stop staring at me like I'm some trophy, Stark." The grin on his face grew widened. Tony never understood how he could be this lucky. A domestic life never sounded very appealing but with Pepper by his side, he couldn't imagine anything else. "And stop treating me like one. I'm no trophy wife, you know that. You can share your emotional baggage with me." Pepper wasn't greedy like the previous women in his life were. She was so pure and so real, sometimes he wondered why she even bothered to stay with him – let alone agree to marry him. "How about this: you let me stare at you as if you were a trophy and you get to do the same." That didn't make it any better. "Negotiation's in vain, Tony. I'm not a trophy, I'm your fiancée." And that was her first mistake. Pepper gave Tony the perfect argument and she didn't even notice. "Perks of being engaged: I get to look at you in every way I want to – and you get to do the same." She would have loved to wipe that proud grin out of his face, but she knew that wouldn't be possible. "Fine. Keep telling yourself just that, Mr. Stark." With a final shrug, Pepper turned around to leave and Tony took the chance to give another cheeky reply. "Be sure that I will, Mrs. Stark." Not yet, Pepper thought with a small smile and left him alone.


	3. Shared Burden

"You shouldn't even be here; I don't want to burden you with my problems. It's not your job to handle this – not anymore." He sat on the couch, a glass of whiskey in one hand as he watched everything crumbling down on the news. It wasn't supposed to go this way, this reinforcement was supposed to help the world, not ruin it even more. And it ruined him as well. He was a freelance hero, people were supposed to admire him but instead all he received was hostility. Yet the others were on a disadvantage: he agreed to stop his work, only acting when he was needed, but the others decided against it. While he was supposed to deal with his problems on his own, there she was, hovering over him like a guardian angel and being strong for him where he couldn't be. "This could have never worked out easily and you know it; it's not like an exclusive party, you don't get to decide for other people. This time, we'll share the burden."


	4. Villain or Victim

"You can't isolate yourself forever, Tony. I know you feel like you're complicit in all the havoc, but trust me, you're not." Delicate fingers ran through the dark, messy locks and Tony couldn't help but close his eyes for a moment. "I don't deserve this." His voice was merely a whisper. "Impunity, I mean. Why should I deserve it when they don't? They're no villains!" Pepper hated to hear his voice being that shaky. He wasn't known for being insecure or feeling so guilty, – not to the public anyway. But Pepper knew better than that. "You mustn't listen to those rumors. You're traumatized, I understand that, but Tony, what you're doing... It's social suicide. You're a victim." Silent tears ran down his cheeks and he didn't say a single word. Pressing a soft kiss to his temple, Pepper wrapped her arms around him and decided to be strong for him while he couldn't be.


	5. Treat You Better

Pepper usually enjoyed these kinds of events. Sure, most of the time they could be rather boring with all the business talk, but Pepper found something really relaxing about them. Yet she was more than relieved to be back home, especially since Tony had seemed to be at discomfort all evening. Whenever she had asked him what the problem was, he would simply give her his trademark smile and brush it off. However, Pepper had known him for almost two decades, two years of which they had been an item, and she was probably the only one who could tell when he was lying.

When they eventually closed the door behind them, the first thing they did was going upstairs to get out of their formal clothing. As amazing as they looked, and as much as Pepper loved to dress up, casual clothes were always so much better. And no, not only because Tony thought Pepper looked absolutely adorable and sexy at the same time when she wore some old shirt of and sweatpants while having her hair up in a messy bun.

As usual, she had taken longer to get out of her fancy dress and to remove all the make-up so in the meantime Tony had decided to go down into the workshop and work on his suit. Being Iron Man required to improve his suit whenever he had the chance to, even if it meant he could only use brief moments, like this one, for it. It was also a great way to avoid Pepper seeing the noticing the ache in his chest.

He was used to his arc reactor, it had taken him a while to properly adjust to it but at this point his chest rarely hurt anymore. This evening, though, it itched again. Tony was so focused on his work, and the itching on his chest, that he didn't hear Pepper's bare feet walking over the tiled floor of his workshop. It was only when two delicate arms wrapped themselves around his middle that he stopped his work and hung down his head.

"I thought you'd be waiting for me in the living room – or bedroom, as a matter of fact." The smile on her lips was more than audible in her voice and Tony couldn't help but smile himself. She could always make him smile, even when he didn't feel like it and vice versa. It was simply how they worked.

Pepper gently stroked his stomach as she waited for his answer, only to notice that he was still rubbing his chest around the arc reactor through his shirt. "Sorry, I didn't realize you would be ready this soon."

"You're getting older Mr. Stark. Time goes by faster."

"You sure know how to boost my ego, honey."

"Tony, what's wrong? You've been behaving strange all evening. Just talk to me."

That woman, she definitely knew how to get him to open up to her. Tony wasn't sure if she did it on purpose or if she really didn't notice just what the soft tone in her voice did to her. He settled for the prior one.

"It's nothing. My chest has been a bit sore all day. I can't get rid of that feeling."

He didn't need to say another word. Years of practice taught her what she needed to do and without really thinking about it, Pepper let his hand fall over his and entwined her fingers with his. To them, it was a really intimate gesture and Tony couldn't fight when Pepper gently tugged him along with her.

They ended up in the bedroom, Tony sitting on the edge of their king-size bed while Pepper had disappeared in the bathroom to get the supplies she needed to treat him. Though the strawberry blonde hadn't said a word about what she was going to do, Tony knew exactly what had been in her mind and had already gotten rid of his black tank top.

Even when she returned Tony made no attempt to move at all. He remained completely quiet and just kept his eyes on her. It was easier this way – he wouldn't say anything stupid or try to brush it off again and she wouldn't have to argue with him but could focus on easing his pain. But that didn't mean she would remain quiet as well.

"It happens more often, doesn't it? I noticed your discomfort a few times before, but I didn't want to push you or anything. Tony, why would you try to hide this from me?"

And that was exactly the question. Why? Of all the people, why did he hide it from her? It couldn't be because he didn't trust her, she knew that. And yet she didn't have any explanation why he would keep it from her, especially not after he had promised her never to keep something like that from her again.

"I don't know. It just didn't seem important enough. It isn't like it's not bearable, just really annoying. It never really healed, you know."

Talking about it brought back the memories of Afghanistan. Of him being gone for three months without her knowing whether he was dead or not. Of him fighting to get back home, back to her.

While he talked to her, Pepper put some ointment on his chest, gently slather the area around the arc reactor in the middle of his chest. Her delicate fingers sent little lightnings through his body, causing his head to tingle and making him relax.

He didn't deserve her. It was one thing Tony was quite sure about, even when she tried to convince him of the contrary.

Pepper only nodded, not saying a word. There was nothing she could have said that would have made it any better. It didn't matter, Tony knew she was being respectful and understood it.

Minutes passed and once Pepper finished she put away the supplies while he put his tank top back on. Tony grabbed her hands when she was about to pass him again and pulled her closer to him, arms sneaking around her slim waist to hold her in place. Pepper knew the meaning of it. Placing a tender kiss on top of his head, she run her hands over his back in a soothing manner when she heard his soft murmur.

"It's okay, I love you too. Let's get some sleep."

Pulling her hair free from her bun, Pepper gently moved them to lie down, pulling the blanket over them and wrapping an arm around him from behind. He thought he didn't deserve her, but she proved him wrong.


	6. Wonderful Christmas Time

He had always thought that blue was her color. Lighter tones, darker tones, everything in between – she always looked absolutely breathtaking whenever she wore blue, every other woman paled in comparison. That was before he had seen her in green.

Tony Stark didn't like Christmas at all. For twenty years he had avoided to celebrate it and instead got himself drunk along with some random girl by his side. Ever since Pepper, though, things had changed. His parents' death was close to Christmas and he was depressed most of the time, however, Pepper brought the happiness back to these days.

The effects she had on him where obvious to everyone, media used to talk about it when they had noticed in the early days. And this was exactly how she had managed to get him to that year's Christmas fundraiser. The local orphanage needed money, of course it would be a good cause for the event.

"Just a two hours, Tony. We need to show up, especially after everything that happened."

People didn't trust him as they used to anymore, the things between the Avengers had caused a lot of trouble and destruction. Not even the Accords could change much about it. As always, Pepper was right, the fundraiser was his chance to do something right – not to mention that the orphans would be excited to see Tony Stark attending the event.

He was talking to people, apologized for what he had done and what had gone wrong as well as had his fun with some of the orphans. This was certainly a first. While Pepper watched him, she couldn't help but think that he would be a remarkable father. He cared deeply for the people close to him and wanted them to have everything they needed – who could be better as a dad?

What no one noticed, Pepper Potts didn't drink any drop of alcohol that evening. Water was the only beverage that made it past her lips and yet no one seemed to have noticed. At least Tony hadn't. Her eyes drifted over to the crowd, het thoughts wandering off.

It was only minutes later that she felt to strong arms wrapping themselves around her slim waist. A delicate smile appeared on Pepper's lips as she leaned back into Tony's embrace.

"You're looking absolutely amazing, Miss Potts." His voice was right next to her ear and a shiver ran down her spine when the vibrations reached her.

"Oh well, you're not looking too bad yourself, Mr. Stark. Are you enjoying yourself."

"Surprisingly, I do. It feels good to be able to give young people something they need."

"You mean the September Foundation grant? I told you it was –" She never got to finish that thought.

"Actually, I mean this fundraiser. I might have done a small donation myself."

Turning in his arms, Pepper watched Tony carefully. He was a changed man. Donations didn't happen out of modesty – no one would ever describe him as a modest man – but because he had more than enough for himself. There were people all over the world who needed the money or whatever else he donated more than he did.

"A few things from my propriety need to be ready for collection by the end of next week."

Whereas this would have been a request if she had still been his PA, it was only an information for her as his girlfriend. And still, she would be the one to arrange everything for the collection.

The thing is, no other PA could ever be as competent as Pepper Potts.  
And though she no longer possessed the description of Tony Stark's PA, managing his life was still her priority. If it weren't for her, he would have killed himself a long time ago. Miss Potts was a true gift from heaven.

"Everything will be ready by then. This is very generous of you, Tony."

"It's more about repaying the dept. I know I can never do so completely but it's a start."

And just then she truly understood why he did all those things. The September Foundation, the fundraiser, all the charities. He still felt so guilty and it broke her heart to realize that. Taking his hand into hers, she gave it a soft squeeze while looking into his eyes.

"Let's go home. I think we've been here long enough."

Pepper Potts suggestion to leave a public event sooner, Tony had to make a mental note about it. It was an evening full of firsts.

A call made, goodbyes said, and gone was the couple.

Happy had been waiting for them, dropping them off at the mansion just before wishing the two of them wonderful holidays and heading home himself.

Behind closed doors, Pepper had gotten rid of her high heels, leaving them by the couch in the living room. Tony, on the other hand, only kept his boxers and wife beater on, not wanting to stay in these utterly uncomfortable clothes any longer. Pepper could only roll her eyes about it.

For a man who always wanted to have the best of the best, his choice of clothing was rather poor. Formal dress codes were something that really annoyed him. Why put yourself in some suit when you could have an old band shirt along with a pair of sweatpants?

They were sitting on the couch in one of the living rooms, listening to some music while they simply talked. Who would have guess Tony Stark, former playboy, would be content enough with just sitting on a couch with a woman and talk? Certainly no one who didn't know him better.

"You know, you don't to repay any debt. You made mistakes but that's only human."

"People died because of me, children died. This isn't something I can just ignore. I can't bring back those people but I can do something for those who are alive but in a poor condition."

Thinking about it for a moment, Pepper sighed and moved to lean her head on his shoulder, his arm wrapping itself around his waist immediately. It wasn't Christmas yet, but the evening made her consider giving him his present a bit earlier.

"I understand that, I really do. But you shouldn't do it because you feel responsible, you should do it because you know it's the right thing to do."

Tony pressed a soft kiss to her temple, holding her close. The strawberry blonde beauty always knew the right words to say. His life would be so much darker without her by his side. Of course he had realized it years ago but only that year he actually knew that he had to change something. But what would she say once she sees the ring on Christmas Eve?

"You can't bring back the dead, but you can care for the ones alive... and the ones to come."

A weak laugh vibrated in his chest. "Oh Potts, that's exactly what I'm doing."

For a genius he really didn't get all the hints.

"Tony, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. It was supposed to be your Christmas present, but I think this might be the right moment."

A frown replaced the smile on his lips as he wondered what she was trying to tell him.

"You try to do the right thing, I know that, saw it. I think you might get your chance to do something right soon, maybe even something that will be a gift for the people one day. Tony... I'm pregnant."

No one would have imagined Tony Stark to be a father. His relationship with his own father had never been the best, he had always been worried about being in the position himself. What if he fucked up like Howard had? What if his child turned out to hate him? There were so many questions in his head and he didn't have an answer to any of them.

If it had been some random one-night-stand who appeared in front of his door to tell him he was going to be a father, he would have been shocked. But this was Pepper, and if any woman was supposed to be the mother of his children then it would be her.

"Pregnant? You're... pregnant. Like, a child?"

"No, it's actually a gremlin."

And that was when he actually realized what all this meant and he couldn't help but laugh. He was going to be a father!

"This is probably the best gift I have ever received. I don't know what to say."

So he hugged her instead, careful not to crush her in his eagerness.

"You don't have to say anything, I'm just glad you're not mad or scared and run away."

Of all the thoughts he could have had, this was the one thing he couldn't bring himself to think about. Leaving Pepper would only hurt him, probably more than it would hurt her. And now that she was pregnant he knew he could only ever want her. This was the woman he wanted to grow old with.

"Thank you Pepper."

They stayed like that for a few more moments, letting the new information settle in.

Tony Stark knew Pepper was going to love her present, maybe even as much as he did.

The song that was currently playing was right they were 'simply having a wonderful Christmas time'. That year and all the ones to come.


	7. Parenting

No one said having a child would be easy. No one said parenting would be the most pleasant thing right away. One child was easy to handle, two made it complicated. Tony had been worried throughout both pregnancies. Constantly worried that he wouldn't be a good father, given his own childhood experiences, Pepper constantly had to calm him down whenever he was close to having an anxiety attack. Most of the time she sent him off to tinker on some gadget and talk about it later.

Privacy was something Pepper Potts valued about everything else. She had never been one to be in the public eye even though being the wife of Tony Stark didn't make the task of staying in the shadows exactly easy. Their daughters shouldn't have to worry about constant surveillance – neither because of the press nor because of bodyguards to keep them safe. Maria and Margaret should have normal lives, as far as that was possible.

Whenever Tony was on a mission, much like it had been the case this time, Pepper would stay at home and spend her whole time with Maria and Margaret. It wasn't easy, two little gremlins running around the house and wanting to play with whatever they could find. It was exactly why Pepper liked to go out with the girls let them play at the beach or take them to the zoo.

The press didn't seem to spot them this easily, her being dresses in casual clothes, little make-up, they didn't seem to recognize her. However, there was one reporter who always seemed to keep an eye on the Starks: Christine Everhart.

Tony's one-night-stand seemed to be obsessed with them, thought everything unusual to be newsworthy even though it rarely got it into the news. The first time she had spotted Pepper alone with Maria, she had thought the marriage to be obscure. 'Marriage for the Money?' had been the title of her story, stating the strawberry blonde had only married the billionaire genius for the money and had a child to keep him around.

Their lawyer had taken care of it.

No-one ever dared to doubt the marriage again after that incident. It was irrefutable to the press, that Tony Stark was utterly in love with Pepper Potts and vice versa. Fortunately, they even deemed their children to be some lucky girls to have parents like them.

The day outside had been uneventful, the girls were so exhausted, Pepper carried them to bed as soon as they arrived at home. This was her favorite time of the day. Not because the girls couldn't cause any trouble but because they looked so innocent, so fragile, when they were asleep.

Getting them to sleep, however, wasn't usually this easy. "You know the drill," she would say but the girls had something different in mind.

It was past eleven o'clock when Pepper decided it was time to call it a night. She had the habit of staying up long whenever Tony was gone on a mission. Her days were long, her nights were short. But not once had she complained or begged him to stop. No, she knew exactly how much being Iron Man meant to him and she couldn't take it from him.

Just as she was about to turn of the light in the living room, she heard the sounds coming from the workshop. Tony. Worry being the strongest emotion, she made her way down to the workshop, bare feet running over the cold floor and down the stairs.

Once she entered the code and walked in, Tony was already halfway out of the suit and seemed to be in one piece. A relieved sigh escaped her.

"Honey, I'm home," he tried to comfort his wife and gave her his trademark smile. Waiting patiently, Pepper had him in a welcoming embrace as soon as the whole suit was gone.

"We missed you. Is everything okay now?"

"Seems to be. At least for now. You know, I would die for a cheeseburger right now."

That had her laughing. "You've been gone for three days and the first thing you ask for is a cheeseburger?"

"I have my needs, Pepper."

"Oh, you got some special needs."

He was quite afterwards and she just took his hands to lead him upstairs only to fix him a sandwich once they reached the kitchen.

Leaning against the counter, she watched her husband eat for a moment before she couldn't bear the silence anymore. "You know, I think we should go on a vacation. Just the four of us, no work, no Iron Man." Not that it was this easy, though some family time would have been really needed.

A sigh was his reply. "You are right, but need to plan it first. There are certain requirements–"

"Like what?" Pepper looked at him with a brow risen.

"I have a feeling I shouldn't talk about this now." They were both tired, it would only end in a fight. Eating the last bit of his sandwich, he got himself a glass of water before taking his wife's hand.

"It's late, we should get some sleep."

Minutes later, the two of them had changed and laid down in bed. Though usually the other way round, Tony was spooning her and held her close to him while her delicate fingers drew lazy patterns on his forearm.

"You know, you and the girls, you are my greatest achievement. Everything I do, my performance as Iron Man, it's to keep you safe."

Blue eyes already closed, Pepper only leant into him some more. "I know. If it helps your self-esteem, I couldn't be prouder of you. I just think it would be good if we could spend some time away from all the stress. Take the girls to Italy, or visit my parents again..." Some normal vacation.

"And we will do that. I promise." He kissed her cheek, held her a bit tighter.

When Tony got no reply, he thought Pepper had fallen asleep already and was about to do the same. As if she had sensed it, her voice reached his ears once again.

"You know, Maria might be a real prodigy of learning. She certainly got your genius brain."

"You think there might be a new genius in town?"

"I was thinking that should she ever show interesting in taking over the company, it would be a real blessing." The three year old definitely got something to look forward to – if only she would know it already.


	8. Try To Fix You

Darkness. Cold. Pain. It was as if bolts of lightning flashed in front of his eyes as the pictures came to life. People were talking, but the language was foreign. What the hell was going on? The bag over his head blocked his view and muffled the sounds. Eventually they removed the bag and he tried to figure out where the hell he was.

The scenery changed. Tony was working on the weapon, at least his abductors believed he was. If only they had known better. He was about to breach the agreement, it had never been mutual anyway. They would pay for what they had done, he would destroy them. And the best thing about it: they wouldn't see it coming.

It wasn't hard to figure out that they were using him. Torturing him when he wasn't playing after the rules, he was nothing but a theft. Once he had built them the Jericho missile, they would simply kill him. It wouldn't happen in an outrage, and no one would be able to prevent it. Tony Stark would be destroyed by his own creation.

The plan was perfect. The metal suit would be their way into freedom, Yinsen and Tony could finally see their loved ones again. Tony saw the small spark of hope and clung to it almost desperately. How bitterly this undertaking would fail.

Their time had come. Fleeing was the only thought in his mind as he made his way through the tunnels of his prison. The backfire did no harm to him, the suit kept him safe. Yinsen had gotten him more time, the only task left was to find him and make it out of the hellhole. It was violent, bloody, and whoever dared to block his way had to die.

As the sun shone right into his face, the next mission had started.

Another change in the scenery. Camera flashes wherever he turned. There were headlines about the crime of his abduction, nothing seemed as important.

Tony tried to play it down, didn't let anyone see the real damage.

"Missing No More. Stark's return into civilization." The headline stuck in his head. Return. If only it was this easy.

"Mr. Stark, the search for you has finally been successful. When can we expect the production to go back to normal?"

"The production..."

"You kept us waiting for too long. It's time to deliver, Stark."

This voice, this accent, Tony knew it too well.

"W-What?"

"Did you really think it would be so easy?"

No. This couldn't be true. He had escaped, he was home.

Suddenly it was dark once again. His chest was aching and there was this cold feeling again. No, he couldn't be back in that cave.

"You've failed me, Anthony. I always knew you couldn't be a great man. You're nothing but an arrogant boy."

It was his father's voice. Pearls of sweat started to run down his body, his breathing was shallow. Before he even knew it, Tony was screaming into the darkness. This wasn't real, it couldn't be. Howard was dead.

"You're not real. This isn't real. THIS ISN'T REAL."

Something was pulling him by his arm. A soft voice called for him in the back of his mind.

"Tony. Tony wake up! It's a dream. You're dreaming."

But he struggled to comply. His father's insults echoed in his mind and all he could do was trying to focus on that soft voice. It was so familiar, yes, it even felt like home.

"Listen to my voice, you're safe!"

"Your mother and I could never be proud of you."

"SHUT UP!"

Tony's breathing was hard as he woke up with a gasp and a scream. A redheaded angle was clinging to his arm, pulling him towards her in a consoling embrace. He didn't say a word. Pepper was whispering comforting words into his hear as she ran her hands over his arm and through his hair, wanting him to realize that he was safe.

This was reality. He was in Malibu, not in Afghanistan; his wife was the proof.

"I was back there, Pep. It was worse this time."

Her husband didn't have to say much more. Pepper knew he was still having nightmares about Afghanistan, but until this moment it had never been this bad. She pressed her lips against his cheek, pulling his head closer so he could bury his face in the crook of his neck. His breathing evened as her comfort was slowly calming him down. Knowing that she wouldn't judge him, it was appeal enough for him to tell her about it. It was necessary.

"I thought I was back for real. We were at the press conference, but it was strange. There was this reporter and he was asking about the weapons. He said it would never be this easy, and then I was back in that cave."

He swallowed hard, eyes shutting a bit tighter.

"I heard his voice. Howard. He told me I was a failure, that he and mum would never be proud of me."

And that was all he said. For several more minutes they stayed like this: he curled into her while she held him in a protective embrace. Eventually, she moved them to lie down again, not moving away from him as she did. Pepper knew he didn't want to sleep, she wouldn't force him to. But he needed the comfort and that was something she could give him.

"You know it's not true. You're the most amazing man I know. Look at what you've reached. You're doing so much good. Could a failure end up with a wife and six wonderful children? Tony, I'm so proud of you, our children adore you, and your parents? They would be so proud of the man you've become."

As hard as it was, he believed her. Just for this night, he could forget about his doubts. Tony could trust his wife's words. Even if it was only for a night.

Pepper continued to whisper comforting words into his ear throughout the whole night. Neither of them slept, they only tried to get some rest. But it was enough. They both were broken, but they were trying to fix it. For their children. For each other.

And one day he would prove to the world that he was the man Pepper believed him to be. One day, he would get over his past. One day.

But until that day, he would depend on Pepper to ease his pain and erase his doubts.


End file.
